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February 19, 1999
Van Gogh is gone. The much-ballyhooed exhibit of paintings by the Dutch master that provoked hours-long waits and had homeless individuals scalping the free tickets for exorbitant prices left for California in January.
But art lovers who attend APA's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in May will still have a bounty of artistic riches guaranteed to move them.
Though overshadowed by New York's well-deserved reputation as the world's art capital, the nation's capital boasts galleries and museums large and small whose diversity and quality are impressive by any standards.
It is difficult to find an interest not represented. One of the world's most important collections of African art is on view at the National Museum of African Art on the National Mall. During the annual meeting the museum will have an exhibit of kinetic sculptures by Sokari Douglas-Camp done as a tribute to her father. There will also be an exhibit titled "Heavy Metals or the Alloyed Truth: A Tribute to the African Smith," which highlights the complex craft of metalworking. At the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, the history and role of black churches in America are depicted in the exhibit "Speak to My Heart."
Lovers of Asian art will also appreciate Washington's bounty. Also on the National Mall and nearly next door to each other are the Freer Gallery and the Arthur Sackler Gallery. In May there will be an exhibit depicting the Japanese tea ceremony at the Freer, and "A Breath of Spring" will open on May 17. The latter pairs a 14th century painting of that title with a poem based on the painting by Michael Ondaatje, best known as the author of The English Patient. The Sackler is featuring an exhibit of watercolors of the Himalayas and another show titled "Devi: The Great Goddess," which has about 120 depictions of the Indian mother goddess. There will also be exhibits of Chinese Art and Southeast Asian sculptures.
While on the mall, annual meeting attendees can also tour the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, whose galleries of 20th century sculpture will have just reopened to commemorate the museum's silver anniversary.
And finally, before leaving the mall, art lovers will have to make time to tour the National Gallery of Art, whose collections, which fill two adjacent buildings, rivals those of any museum in the world. In May there will be a special exhibit of paintings, books, and manuscripts that highlight the museum's collection of flower still lifes by Dutch, Flemish, and other northern European masters. A John Singer Sargent retrospective will also be on display.
A few blocks north of the mall at 8th and F streets, N.W., the National Portrait Gallery will be showing a collection of 25 paintings, sculptures, and drawings of George and Martha Washington, including several by well-known artists such as Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale. Another exhibit at the gallery honors Benjamin Franklin and displays paintings and memorabilia including microscopes and other scientific devices.
New Englanders who are homesick will want to stop by the National Museum of American Art, where an exhibit displays paintings of New England scenes completed between the Civil War and the end of World War II. It features works by Winslow Homer, Maxfield Parrish, and Norman Rockwell, among others. The museum is at 8th and G streets, N.W.
Also in downtown Washington, just three blocks from the convention center, the National Museum of Women in the Arts will have an exhibit of the poetry and art of the Italian avant-garde artist Mirella Bentivoglio.
Just one block from the White House is an often-overlooked treasure, the Renwick Gallery. Housed in a majestic Second Empire-style building and rescued from demolition by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1963, the Renwick features the best in American contemporary crafts. It is named for its architect James Renwick, who gave Washington one of its its most-loved landmarks, the Smithsonian Castle.
Another of Washington's true treasures, the Phillips Collection, is on 21st Street, N.W., near Dupont Circle. Once the mansion of Duncan Phillips, the gallery houses some of the world's most beloved Impressionist paintings including Renoir's vast canvas "Luncheon of the Boating Party." There will be a blockbuster show during the annual meeting featuring the art of Georgia O'Keefe. Arrive early and be patient.
The Dupont Circle and Georgetown neighborhoods are also home to a wide array of art galleries, while several prominent dealers have galleries at 406 7th Street, N.W., a short walk from the convention center.
A little further afield in historic Old Town Alexandria, which itself is a living museum, the Torpedo Factory Art Center houses the studios of several dozen artists and craftspersons. The unique concept allows visitors to wander into the artists' studios and watch them work. Almost all of the creations are for sale and certainly would make for a one-of-a-kind souvenir. The center is on Union Street on Alexandria's beautiful, restored waterfront.
The World Wide Web provides a wealth of information on the collections of the major art museums and galleries in Washington, D.C., as well as schedules of special exhibits.
Freer and Arthur Sackler Galleries
www.si.edu/organiza/museums/freer/start.htm
National Gallery of Art
www.nga.gov/programs/programs.htm
National Portrait Gallery
www.npg.si.edu/col/index.htm
National Museum of American Art
160.111.7.240/activity/planvis/museums/i-nmaa.htm
National Museum of Women in the Arts
www.nmwa.org/visit/visiting.htm
Renwick Gallery
educate.si.edu/programs/museums/renwick.html
Phillips Collection
www.phillipscollection.org/
Torpedo Factory
www.torpedofactory.org/